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UAE prosecutors label Flydubai co-pilot axe attack terrorist act

By Drooid · Oct 4, 2026, 2:07 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Flydubai Co-pilot Attacks

Flydubai co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe on Flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Oct 2, 2026.
Captain Machchhar, despite stab wounds, opened the cockpit door allowing passengers and crew to enter.
Two deadheading pilots seized controls and landed the Boeing 737 Max 8 safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi called the incident a terrorist attack and launched a probe.

Summary

Hamam al-Hammami Terror Attack

Co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami, a Buckinghamshire New University aviation graduate, participated in the attack.
During his studies, al-Hammami posted online praising violence against women and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Al-Hammami told the captain he wanted to pray in the cockpit before launching the attack.
UAE prosecutors labeled the assault a terrorist act, citing his extremist statements as motive.

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Flydubai Co-pilot Attacks

Flydubai co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami attacked Captain Smit Machchhar with a crash axe on Flight 1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Oct 2, 2026.
Captain Machchhar, despite stab wounds, opened the cockpit door allowing passengers and crew to enter.
Two deadheading pilots seized controls and landed the Boeing 737 Max 8 safely in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
UAE Attorney General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi called the incident a terrorist attack and launched a probe.

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